Game #15 – Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Publisher: EA
Developer: Criterion Games
Platform: PS3/360/PC/Wii/DS/iPhone
The decision for EA to give new developers a shot at the long stagnating Need for Speed series proved to be most sucessful for the company. After the success of Need for Speed Shift, EA have brought on modern-day arcade racing juggernauts Criterion to a new NFS game. And we have the most excellent Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit as a result.
Taking a cue from Hot Pursuit II, Criterion's game is split into two careers – one for racers and one for police officers, offering up a good alternatives for each side for players tired of one type of game and up for another. The game itself plays quite similarily to Criterion's own Burnout series, just with a slower pace and more realistic handling model. This seems shockingly different to what Hot Pursuit has always been about, but don't let that discourage you – Criterion's game still offers up the fantastic chases from previous games, as well as the tense and heart pounding action racing that Burnout is known for.
Quite possibly the coolest addition is in the form of the Autolog. It works quite similarily to the leaderboard mechanic in Blur, but it goes a few steps further – offering up better ways to directly compete with your friends, giving better leaderboard data and directly tieing it all in better. Onn one hand, it makes progression a pain, what, with the constant restarting because you cocked up a race, but it also makes the game just that little bit more competitive. And it's always rageworthy to hear “Autolog Updated', meaning that someone has broken your times.
As far as action racers go, it's easily the best of the year. Tense, heart stopping and just a blast to play. It's great to see EA finally let Criterion have a go at NFS, and it's turned up trumps.
I'm so jealous of you. Getting to play all these games from 2010.
Here's the deal with this one. I have ALL of the Burnouts, but I heard this week this one is only worth it if you have friends, and friends who play online. I have neither. So, from a single player persepctive, is this worth the full retail?
And...Does it have a clear carerr mode (ie, can you beat it)? Or is it more of a pick up and play type of game.
if you discount the podcasts, which you shouldn't do.
I forget about the podcasts cause they don't have the thread in the gaming forum.
That's kind of an interesting question Aspro. I'd say check it out at least - there is a career mode where you can beat all the events. The online stuff is just a flavouring, you don't need it, but it really helps.